– Customer review on 25/08/2007

I first discovered the giving tree 25 years ago when i was in Primary school, the story fascinated me, it made me feel conflicted, both happy and sad for the tree and for the boy. I never owned a copy of this book, but checked it out from the school library on several occassions.
I had almost forgotten about the giving tree when i learnt that it had been re-released for it's 40th anniversary with a CD as read by Shel Silverstein. I was so excited I quickly bought it for my daughter.
As i re-read the book after so many years i found that it still raised the same conflicting emotions, except this time, as a parent, I found myself thinking of myself as the tree and the boy as my daughter. I then found myself thinking of the sacrifices my parents made for me and how i have also been the boy.
This book is a real treasure, and has stood the test of time.
The CD is a nice touch, but it does sound dated